Volume 18, Issue 5 - Oct. 31, 2018

Volume 18, Issue 5 – October 31, 2018

The Sputnik, We Orbit Around You. News, pg. 5

Features, pg. 7

Arts pg. 8

THRIVING FOR AERIALIST FLIES ‘THE ABOMINAMENTAL HEALTH THROUGH SKY BLE DR. WELSH’

Using better coping mechanisms to deal with stress

How a trip to Disneyland changed this student’s life

Passions collide in this Laurier proffessor’s blog

Sports, pg. 11

Opinion, pg. 12

CROSS COUNTRY WE ARE MEMES TO NATIONALS MEMES ARE WE

LB’s cross country team sets goal to make top ten

The phenomenon that became apart of the culture

United we stand in the face of hatred How one ignorant act brought together a community News pg. 3

MITCH EMANUELLE/LEAD PHOTO

02

THE SPUTNIK

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WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018

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THE SPUTNIK STAFF EDITORINCHIEF Dellesia Noah eic@thesputnik.ca

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What are you going as for halloween this year?

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“I’m going to be a deer”

“Veronica Lodge from Riverdale”

- Marena Silli, 3, Digital Media and Journalism

- Alexandra, 5, Concurrent Education

“I have a pimp coat at home I was planning on wearing”-Terry Khamvongosa, 4, Youth and Children’s Studies

“I was thinking about being a unicorn” - Tenisha Wittr, 2, Social Work

“I don’t think I’m dressing up”

“I’m going to be a dead pirate”

- Laura Fischer, 2, Crim Sussex

- Emma Faria, 2, Law and Society

DIRECTOR Hayley H.G. Watson

CONTRIBUTORS Firstname lastname Firstname lastname Firstname lastname

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BRANTFORD

Mosque hosts solidarity event for city Messages of support poured out from Brantford community and from neighbouring cities after vandalism

WARWICK PANG/PHOTOGRAPHER

Brantford police are treating incident asa hate crime but Brantford Mosque sees to look at it as isolated incident and not a true reflection of the city of Brantford.

DELLESIA NOAH EDITOR-IN-CHIEF

The Brantford community flooded a local mosque with support after vandalism incident.

Friday, Oct. 26 Brantford Mosque held a community event of solidarity after their place of worship had been vandalised last week. The vandalism contained hateful graffitied messages such as “you are not welcome” and “go back to Arabia” as well as other vulgar messages.

I feel like at times like this muslims try and distance themselves from what they see and isolate themselves from their religion and their community.

-Fatima Khan, Laurier Student

Abu Noman Tarek, Iman of Brantford Mosque, said he was “shocked” and “saddened” upon learning of the vandalism.

The solidarity event began with a sermon and prayer. Regular attendees of the mosque gathered together with members of the community as well as municipal politicians.

“We know it is an isolated incident; that it does not represent the

Brantford community,” said Tarek during the sermon. “We are very fortunate to live in Canada which is very welcoming and very fortunate to live in Brantford, which is very welcoming.”

Tarek described his congregation of the mosque as “very proud to be [in Brantford]”.

The Muslims’ Association at Laurier Brantford has students who attend the mosque and who were also in attendance at the solidarity event.

“I am a little upset about the mosque being vandalised because this is a safe space for me to come and practice my religion; for that to be violated was very upsetting to me,” said Fatima Kahn. “I feel like at times like this muslims try and distance themselves from what they see and isolate themselves from their religion and their community because they are scared but I feel like at times like this we should be doing the opposite and coming together and talking with one another about it.”

“I do think that everything happens for a reason. This clearly happened for a reason and even though it’s very upsetting, I do feel like it does bring the community closer and we benefit from it because we talk about what’s going on around us and people who usually wouldn’t end coming to the mosque, end up coming to the mosque,” said Mahdiyyah Kasmani.

The message of the sermon was that although ignorance may lead to fear and acts of hatred, love will

dispel that out.

We should all want to know what makes us different and unique: to embrace that, to celebrate that.

-Joshua Wall, Ward 5 Councillor

After the sermon and prayer, people gathered into the multipurpose hall to hear encouraging words, not only from the Iman but from municipal politicians and every day community members.

“Hate wins when good does nothing,” said one Brantford retiree as he stood and addressed the crowd. He continued that Brantford should “let love win” and let the muslim population of Brantford know “you are loved.”

“What happened here is unacceptable and not reflective of the community I call home,” said Joshua Wall, ward five councillor.

“We should all want to know what makes us different and unique: to embrace that, to celebrate that.”

While speaking to the crowd, Wall decided to address the silver lining of the incident: “Something this bad brought this much good.

This is what I wanted to see.”

Tarek and other members of the community showed off messages of support that had come in from the Brant community as well as from other surrounding cities.

“We’ve received thousands of emails of support,” said Tarek Those in attendance were encouraged to leave behind positive messages on bulletin boards that were laid out. “One of the ways in which we’re responding to the hate is with a message of love,” said Tarek. These positive reinforcements were to be left in the place where the vandalism had

occurred.

Brantford Police are investigating this incident as a hate crime.

The police have released images of two young male suspects.

“The Brantford Police Service is taking this incident very seriously and are seeking the public’s assistance in identifying the two individuals who are responsible,” police said in a released statement.

“We have full confidence that their investigation will result in justice,” said Tarek.

GRADUATING IN 2019?

Don’t miss the deadline to be included in the 2019 yearbook & class composite.

Appointments open in mid-October for sittings in November at wlusp.com

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04

NEWS

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018

LAURIER

Tedx returns to Laurier for second year This year’s eight speakers all had a reoccuring theme of how to overcome adversity and learn from failures HYRRA CHUGHTAI ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR

On Oct 27, 2018, the second annual TEDx Laurier Brantford was held inside the Research and Academic Centre.

Eight different speakers addressed students and the community about their challenges along their career paths, all while connecting their message to the overall theme, which was “challenge today, opportunity tomorrow”.

The speakers were invited to tell their stories, and hoped to be able to inspire and raise awareness of issues and ideas and turn those into opportunities.

We really wanted to bring an event together where we can have these speakers who have overcome some kind of challenges in their area ...

-Kwabena Gyetuah, Co-chair of TedxLaurier Brantford

The first TEDx event took place last year and was a success. With many students willing to participate and interest from the community as well, there was a clear desire from people wanting to take part in the talks.

Kwabena Gyetuah, the event’s co-chair, explains the necessary process for the team to take part, to create a smooth event: “We started planning TEDx four or five months ago…. When we came together, and we think of what our theme is going to be, we wanted it to be based on what our mission [was] that year as well as what we see going on in our community around us. So, this theme we decided that the world today [has a lot more tension] and allows different opportunities for the students, [but] there are many challenges. So, we really wanted to bring an event together where we can have these speakers who have overcome some kind of challenges in their area of fields and really speak about how to work through challenges. So, that’s what we wanted to do… There is a power along with opportunities through challenges that grow and develop as well as to create amazing things.

We really wanted to share that knowledge with our audience,” said Gyetuah.

Each speaker at the event had their own story to tell and experiences to share. Through each one’s struggle came a sign of relief, and through each one’s talk, we got to learn more about how an issue can arise but can soon become an opportunity.

With eight speakers, each was fascinating to listen to.

There was Jason Grimes, a pastor who strives to help communities and families through their own struggles. Dr. Behrouz Moemeni, who is the founder of BeMo and SortSmart, a system that helps students use tools to help with admissions to get into competitive programs.

Shannon Rogers -- a Laurier alumnus turned entrepreneur -- spoke about her struggles to get to where she is now. The senior manager at PWC, Fahad Meer; the founder and CEO of HueFoods,

Aisha Bentham, spoke about her journey of starting HueFoods, and the continuous challenges that she has encountered.

Dr. Akbar, the Director of Tshepo Institute for the Study of Contemporary Africa, who spoke about his idea of revolutionizing the way people view the digital divide.

Helen- Anne Embry, an organic farmer who shared the story of her passion and effort to create a simpler life 500km up north; and Sajel Bellon, an occupational stress and trauma specialist, who focused on mental health and the importance of everyone’s well-being.

Through each speaker’s different approach to the overarching theme, listeners were able to take different elements in order to create a meaning for themselves.

A lot of work went into having such a diverse group of speakers.

“This year and last year we had eight speakers, so what we did to get people to come was to try to spread the word through our platform,” said Gyetuah. “We have our Facebook page, which we use to promote for speakers. We made some personal reach-outs through LinkedIn, through our networks as well as influential people that we thought would be great for our platform. What we wanted to do was to evaluate the speakers and really find the synergies with the theme for our overall mission of finding ideas that would spread.

Some of our topics are pretty broad but all of them are touching upon [it] in a similar way,” she said.

As there was the same number of speakers as last year, not much changed with the way the TEDX event was run, but one of the main differences from the first event was the way the tickets were being distributed.

Since this is a Laurier Brantford intiative, we wanted to make sure we are prioritizing our students first.

-Kwabena Gyetuah, Co-chair of TedxLaurier Brantford

Previously, tickets were obtained through the TEDX website, where students simply had to enter their names to receive a ticket. This year, the tickets were sold to students and community members for $10.

“For us, our whole goal for this is to spread knowledge. Though we did charge this year, the reason why we did that was for us to be able to buy and create the program that we need. Funding is a factor, so we didn’t want to charge students, but we did have to figure out some funding reasons to get that money in. Number two, we realized from our last event that though we did let students in for free, it was a challenge to keep them in. So, we decided that money was an incentive, so if you are investing yourself into a platform, you are going to be more committed to stay through it. Our whole goal is to really give people and opportunity to really learn. The last thing is last year we were funded

by Student Life Levy. Student Life Levy is very generous with their donation last year that they wanted us to… make it free for students.

They gave so much money that we

HYRRA CHUGHTAI/ARTS AND CULTURE

were able to have students come in for free,” said Gyetuah.

As for the future of TEDX here at Laurier Brantford and for the upcoming 2019 year, the team wants to continue to work harder to create a better year for both students

(Top) Pastor Jason Grimes (Bottom) Courtesy of TedX Laurier Brantford.

and the Brantford community.

“Since this is a Laurier Brantford initiative, we wanted to make sure we are prioritizing our students first. When we are getting students and speakers we want to make sure we open up tickets enough that

60 per cent of students come in and then 30 per cent [are from the outside], so we can have enough seats and students to come in as well as our community members,” said Gyetuah.

THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018

NEWS

05

LAURIER

Thriving for mental health

Helping to build positive coping skills AVERY MCISSAC OPINION EDITOR

Over the entirety of last week, Laurier Brantford hosted their third annual Thrive Week event.

The intention of Thrive Week is to help students build positive mental health. Originally, Thrive Week was run by Recreation and Athletics on campus, but this year almost every department on campus was involved.

This year's Thrive Week consisted of many different events meant to help students de-stress and plan ahead during the peak of midterm season. Some of the events included meditation, therapy dogs, the mental health carnival, salsa lessons, hot yoga, dodgeball, pumpkin carving and lots of free food. Thrive Week also offered events like “What Next? Support & Planning” run by the DEO. One of the bigger events was the mental health carnival. The carnival had something to offer to everyone. There were massages from Holistic Healing Arts, gratitude beading, essential oils, succulents, yoga, custom Epsom salt jars from Bathtub Bakery, stress balls, selfsoothing bags, a ball pit, snacks and some draws for prizes.

The carnival was a great way for students to learn about businesses in the surrounding area that could be utilized when trying to de-

stress. For example, Moksha Yoga had a booth where students could take a card for a free class.

I think it’s really important to build resiliency in students both while they’re here and then translating to when they get into their careers and workforce.

-Jodie Lockey-Duesling, Wellness Education Coordinator

The Wellness Centre also put together self-soothing bags that included things like face masks, snacks, word search books, PlayDoh and candles. Debatably, the most important things in the bags were booklets that gave students ways to cope with different emotions and stressors such as loneliness or loss, and a card with the phone numbers of campus and local supports.

Jodie Lockey-Duesling, Laurier Brantford’s Wellness Education Coordinator, explained why she believes it’s important to have events like Thrive Week on campus. She said: “I think it’s really important to build resiliency in

JODIE LOCKEY-DUESLING/CONTRIBUTOR

Thrive week was filled with activities to help students alleviate the stress that comes along with mid-term season.

students both while they’re here and then translating to when they get into their careers and workforce. It’s important for students to build resiliency, create connectedness, and learn about the different departments on campus that actually think mental health is super important.”

Terry Khamvongsa, who is part of the Wellness Education Team as well as being a part of the Child

and Adolescent Research and Education Lab Outreach Team (CARE), was one of the students that helped with the carnival.

Terry gave a student perspective on why events like Thrive Week are so important. He said: “Throughout the school year students get hammered by tests, midterms, and assignments and it can take a toll on them. These type of events help students realize Laurier wants

everyone to do well and is here to help them succeed.”

Last year, students voiced their concerns about the wellness centres on both Laurier campuses.

The students demanded change, and it was promised this school year would be different. Having the Wellness Centre be involved with events like Thrive Week seems to be a step in the right direction.

DOWNTOWN

New boutique opens up downtown

Alt boutique, the new store hopes to fill gap between between the people of Brantford and streetwear SEBASTIAN WOO STAFF WRITER

Alt Boutique is a new streetwear shop set right in the middle of downtown Brantford, adding a much-needed business catered for the students.

“Streetwear is a lot of things, it’s something edgy, not normal, wearable, comfortable and easily accessible,” said Justin Lowe, owner of Alt Boutique.

Alt serves to fill the gap between the people of Brantford and streetwear.

“I realized there’s a lot of fashionable, creative, cool people in the city and they just weren’t being catered to,” said Lowe.

A lot of what I’ve been noticing is the international students coming here and expressing their fashion and it’s super inspiring.

-Justin Lowe, Owner of Alt Boutique

Lowe has worked retail for 12 years in stores like Jean Machine.

Realizing a huge potential, Alt Boutique wants to allocate all the right products to the people here in Brantford.

“A lot of what I’ve been noticing is the international students coming here and expressing their fashion and it’s super inspiring what they’re doing,” said Lowe.

Alt carries clothes primarily from Canadian brands such as Kuwalla and Buffalo for the men, with styles like bombers and distressed, deconstructed fabrics.

For women, Alt carries clothes from C’est Moi that focus on comfortable knits and athletic wear like scarves and leggings.

Alt’s most popular items are the line of jewellery they carry from Emery & Opal sourced from Ottawa that includes gold-plated necklaces and bracelets.

“We also carry collaborative items like the candles and salts from Bathtub Bakery, a bath product line,” said Lowe.

Lowe’s decision to open a store here in Brantford comes from how he grew up in Brantford.

As a native he’s gotten to know the Brantford community and realizes there’s much opportunity, especially with the students milling about.

Alt Boutique held its opening on October 16.

“Alt is a store where students and people working can come in a space where you could browse, no crazy sales expectations. A laid back, fun environment,” said Lowe.

While a lot of the stock is fall apparel, Alt has men’s winter coats ready to be brought out soon, and many more things to come.

SEBASTIAN WOO/STAFF WRITER

Justin Lowe recognized the need in Brantford to provide hip and comfortable streetwear selection

06

THE SPUTNIK

FEATURES EDITOR/NOW HIRING

WHAT’S YOUR THING?

Laurier aerialist flys through sky KOYAL VYAS STAFF WRITER

To most, dangling from the celling with no support except for a single hoop or some ribbon would be absolutely terrifying. However, for first-year social work student Karen Freeland, this is just a hobby.

At the age of five, Freeland visited the “happiest place on earth,” Disneyland, and while she was there came across an aerial hoop show. The bright lights and the skills that the aerialist had to be able to perform without any support or any fear completely amazed her five-year-old mind. “I was completely obsessed after the first show and had to see it every time we went to Disney after that,” said Freeland.

I was completly obseesed with the first show and had to see it every time we went to Disneyland after that.

-Karen Freeland, Laurier Student

Freeland’s mother noticed this obsession growing in her daughter, so a little after Freeland’s 15th birthday she found aerial hoop and ribbon classes to enroll her in.

Walking into her first class, she was intimidated by all the other people there who had been practicing for much longer than she had and had much more strength than she did, but she gained the courage to go through the three-hour introduc-

tion course. Going to this class was, in Freeland’s words: “the best decision I had ever made”.

After that three-hour introduction class, the beginners were allowed to decide which aerial tricks they liked better and based on that, sign up for lessons in that area.

“When it was time for me to decide, I had to go for hoop because I preferred it more…. Honestly it was because it reminded me of the monkey bars which I loved as a kid and comparing the two made me feel a lot more comfortable,” said Freeland.

The troupe where Freeland practices and performs charges $200 for eight weeks of lessons, and each lesson is an hour long. With six to eight people in each class, it makes for a very personal environment. Students then move up in the ranks as they spend more time with the troupe. After two eightweek sessions for the introduction, most aerialists move onto the intermediate stage, where they spend two years practicing their routines. Then after two years, they move on to the advanced stage. “It is great because we only have one instructor who teaches each of the levels, so by the time you make it from introduction to advanced the instructor knows you well,” said Freeland.

The $200 also covers two showcases a year in which the members of Freeland’s troupe perform. They have a handful of performances that contain solos, duets, trios and groups of up to six people. “We usually have a showcase around Halloween and then another in the spring…. Sadly, this year I couldn’t perform because it is too far for me to travel all the way there for practices, but my goal is to be home in time for the spring showcase,” said Freeland.

FEATURES

Aside from the talent, costumes, lights and music are a big part of these showcases. “We try to make our costumes as low-budget as possible with a limit of $20 just to make sure everyone is able to participate…. At the last showcase we wore leggings and tie-dyed shirts, which I thought was so fun and creative,” said Freeland.

“For music we like to use songs that have a hard beat in them, so it is easier to keep time while we are performing…. [At] one of the showcases a girl did her performance to ‘Wrecking Ball’ by Miley Cyrus and it was so memorable,” said Freeland.

Even though I am not a competitive aerialist I get the biggest adrenaline rush from literally hanging from the ceiling and being able to create so beautiful with just my body...

-Karen Freeland, Laurier Student

As fun as this hobby may seem, both Freeland and her parents are aware of the unique safety concerns that come with this activity. “When I first realized how the aerial tricks worked, I was completely amazed just like with the Disney performance, but I was also extremely nervous and scared of getting hurt,” said Freeland. The only protection that Freeland and other aerialists have when they practice and perform is a mat to break a fall. Other than that there is no protection, however, Freeland states: “I wear leggings when

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 3, 2018

I am practicing and performing because it helps to prevent bruising”.

When it comes to performing, Freeland has said: “I don’t participate in any competitive parts of aerial hoop or ribbon and this is just something that I do for fun and for a sense of community”.

“Even though I am not a competitive aerialist I get the biggest adrenaline rush from literally hanging from the ceiling and being able to create something so beautiful with just my body and a metal hoop…. but I would not be able to have this much fun without the rest of my troupe and the improvement tips, constructive criticism that I get from them,” said Freeland.

Freeland made it apparent that women’s empowerment is something that her troupe believes in and tries to practice every single day. Everyone on the troupe is constantly giving each other feedback (especially between the advanced troupe members and the beginner members) and constructive criticism to make sure that they are all performing at their best. “My favourite moments are when we are at our showcase and I get off the stage after my performance and run straight into the arms of the rest of my troupe who are waiting to hug me and complimenting me…. it feels amazing to be around this type of energy and this is what makes me want to stay on this troupe as long as I can,” said Freeland.

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THE SPUTNIK

08

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018 ARTS & CULTURE EDITOR HYRRA CHUGHTAI arts@thesputnik.ca

HOBBIES

‘The abominable Dr. Welsh’ talks blog Laurier proffessor combines his passions of psych, criminology and horror to discuss in his writings

ALEX VIALETTE/ WEB DIRECTOR

HYRRA CHUGHTAI ARTS AND CULTURE EDITOR

Have you ever wondered what your professor may be like outside of the classroom?

Their interests and hobbies may influence the way that they teach.

Here at Laurier Brantford, Dr. Andrew Welsh isn’t too shy to showcase his interests in his lessons.

Carrying themes of media, and specifically the trends in horror films, throughout his criminology and psychology courses, Dr. Welsh is very open about his passion. But along with his passion for horror films in an academic setting, Dr. Welsh has dedicated his time to creating a blog called “The Abominable Dr. Welsh”, where he writes reviews of various horror movies and TV shows.

From the classics to independent films, and even the horrible side of Netflix, Dr. Welsh writes about almost all aspects of the genre.

I like to write. Before I decided to major in psychology, it’s what I did throughout my undergrad and all throughout school.

-Dr. Andrew Welsh, Associate Professor at Laurier Brantford

Launched on January 19, 2018, the blog has grown exponentially.

With over a thousand followers on Twitter and Instagram and over 26,000 hits, the blog continues to

grow – especially during the past two months. But these numbers weren’t evident when Dr. Welsh initially wanted to start the blog.

“I like to write. Before I decided to major in psychology, it’s what I did throughout my undergrad and all throughout school. In high school I wanted to be a writer and then I kind of just changed focus and I’ve always just had an interest in movies, TV and music. The first attempt I took was not well planned and was very [careless]. I wrote a little bit about every[thing]; music, album reviews, TV shows – so very unfocused. I was getting no followers and I [was] only publishing once every couple of … weeks, so it was not a sustained effort. I think since then I’ve come off and on... I mean I’ve got the time that I spend at work doing stuff as a professor; the marking, the research, the administrative piece, you know being a parent and taking care of them [his children], so it was something I wanted to do for me,” said Dr. Welsh.

Throughout the process of finding out what worked and what didn’t, the passion for writing remained the same for Dr. Welsh.

But as a professor, the language he was using may have been a little too advanced for readers. As a part of the learning process, Dr. Welsh had to look further into analytics and learn about tagging the correct words to get the most views.

As for anyone starting their hobby or trying to create an audience online, it can be very hard. As society changes, there are many new features and trends that one must stay on top of.

“In March, I [was] asked to write for a blog called ‘Nightmare on Film Street’, which is much bigger, and they were looking for writers.

They have a team of 20 people,

so I thought it would be a good experience to do some kind of freelance, writing for someone else’s site. I learned very quickly the reason why they can get so much content on their blog, so everyday on their Facebook writers’ group they would list...all the movies that were released, and someone may want to write about. Quickly what I learned was writing small 300-word articles were like Variety, they would write articles. I am just one person, I don’t have time to do that, I can’t post five, six minutes a day… Its taken a lot of experimenting. I’ve tried different posts that just didn’t do well, maybe it’s timing, but I’ve learned the hard way and there is a lot of things you can do with WordPress that a lot of the analytics show you which posts are doing what,” said Dr. Welsh.

Along with finding out what kind of style did well with the blog’s demographic, Dr. Welsh used trial and error to figure out what aligned well with people’s interests.

Bigger movies and the reviews that had been done on them were gaining more traction on sites such as Rotten Tomatoes and wouldn’t allow much notice to “The Abominable Dr. Welsh”. Trying to figure out what worked well with the blog was and still is a very big struggle, and always changing the content is a continuous learning process.

“It is not an academic blog, so it was not supposed to be written [well]. When I sat down and ended up wanting to write content on reviews and one of the things I wanted was to get someone to go onto Apply Movies, Google Play, and see what’s featured and be able to come to my blog and see those things being reviewed. You should be able to sit down and ask, ‘oh ‘Don’t Breathe’ is on this month on

Netflix, I wonder if it’s any good?’

Now I’ve learned kind of the hard way that every week on Apple Movies, they dump [bad movies].

There are some movies that are so bad that there is no point in writing a review, not that it’s hard to write or it’s a bad review – actually bad movies are really fun to write – it’s just I’ve noticed people are going to watch those movies regardless.

I’ve learned to be more strategic,” said Dr. Welsh.

Content isn’t the only thing to think about when starting a project. The various aspects of the way you present yourself determines further engagement and can alter the way your audience thinks and views your work.

‘The Abdominable Dr. Phibes it’s kind of like ‘Saw’, thirty years befre they made ‘Saw’. So, I thought well my title is Dr. Welsh, so there’s the perfect horror idea.

-Dr. Andrew Welsh, Associate Professor at Laurier Brantford

This can work as early on and as simply as the name of your project.

Dr. Welsh figured this out very quickly: trying to figure out the name of his blog took a while but was worth it in the end. Dr. Welsh is a fan of classic horror and pulling references from the works of Vincent Price, an old horror actor, and so ‘The Abominable Dr. Welsh’ was born.

“Branding is important. [There is] a podcast called ‘The Faculty of

Horror’ and I think the two leads are professors… I loved ‘The Faculty of Horror’, I thought it was a perfect name, but they already had it. In addition to horror films I really enjoy older films in general. One horror film that is my favourite is a little horror film [starring an] actor named Vincent Price. In the 50s, 60s and 70s he was famous for horror films and one of the films he did, and I always liked was ‘The Abominable Dr. Phibes’. It’s kind of like ‘Saw’ thirty years before they made ‘Saw’. So, I thought well, my title is Dr. Welsh, so there’s the perfect horror idea, ‘The Abominable Dr. Welsh’. Older horror fans would instantly recognize that and say, ‘yeah I get that’ and even if you don’t recognize it, abominable sounds bad, so that took a while to come up with because branding makes a difference,” said Dr. Welsh.

As the blog continues to grow, Dr. Welsh sees the potential for other writers to join in and write for the blog.

As a professor creating content for courses, marking work, continuing research, and taking care of his family, has such a busy schedule that writing for the blog sometimes seems impossible.

“I’ve noticed that, for example, TV show reviews, that’s hard.

Even something as simple as ‘The Haunting of Hill House’ with 12 episodes, well that’s 12 episodes, right? It’s challenging, that’s where I could see that at some point I’d like to open it up. When I was writing for ‘Nightmare on Film Street’, I learned a lot on analytics…

When September rolled around, my viewership had gone up every month and I thought it was now time to kind of take it to the next level,” said Dr. Welsh.

THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018

ARTS & CULTURE

09

MOVIES

Michael Myers returns for ‘Halloween’

*Spoilers ahead* John Carpenter’s latest sequel comes to theatre just in time for spooky season It has been 40 years since John Carpenter’s “Halloween” hit theatres, and since then there have been many re-makes – 11 to be exact. Some have been decent, and others just truly awful. But on October 19, the sequel to John Carpenter’s original hit the screen, along with the scream queen herself, Jamie Lee Curtis.

The highly anticipated horror movie had everyone itching to know what the plot could hold for Laurie Strode, played by Curtis.

This was a movie I had been waiting for since it was announced, and with the trailers that had been released over the summer, I was prepared for fall to begin. After seeing the long-awaited movie, I can say that “Halloween” was just okay.

If you are still planning on seeing “Halloween”, I suggest you stop reading now. Spoilers will follow.

Every year when spooky season rolls around, “Halloween” is one of those movies that are must-sees.

Even if you aren’t into horror films, I believe anyone can watch this series; there was even a child in the theatre when I went to see the movie. But this was my opinion before I watched the sequel. Comparing it to the original, this was much more graphic and gory. Witnessing Michael Myers stomping on a man’s skull up-close and the movie continuously coming back to that shot had me questioning if I enjoyed what was being shown or if it was okay for me to look away and be a wimp about it.

The beginning of the movie

ANUJ KAPAHI/GRAPHICS

wasn’t a surprise: it was everything that was shown in the trailer. Michael escapes when they are transporting him from one institution to another and goes on a killing rampage, including killing a child, all while trying to get to Laurie.

The storyline wasn’t anything that I was surprised by or felt refreshed by watching. It felt like I had watched it before, but with slight differences or hints to the origi-

nal. For instance, Laurie’s granddaughter is in class and looks out to see her grandmother staring at her, which in the original would’ve been Michael staring at Laurie.

It was a very cliché moment for the movie, as well as something that was expected. Along with predicted storylines, the granddaughter, Allyson, has two best friends babysitting on the night of Halloween that happen to also get

killed by Michael. But what I will say for that scene: the child that was being babysat, Julian (Jibril Nantambu), was hilarious. There’s just something about little children swearing and saying very adult-like works very well in modern movies and horror, as displayed perfectly in the 2017 re-make of “IT”.

Aside from resemblances to the original, the violence is what caught my attention. With more

gruesome killings and a much higher body count, Michael Myers did not want to play around.

Known for being very stealthy around homes, Myers was very “in your face” with the killing this time around, and did so very randomly.

In a scene closer to the beginning of his full transformation back to his ravenous stage, he finds a hammer in a shed and follows the women back into the house. The camera seems to be hiding behind the door, and we can hear Myers clobbering the women to death.

He then comes back and exchanges the hammer for his infamous butcher knife. But just when you thought you were in the clear and wouldn’t be seeing any blood and brains, the camera pans towards the kitchen and you get to see what you heard.

Comparing this sequel to the previous one with Jamie Lee Curtis, “Halloween: H20”, I can say that the killing of Michael Myers was executed very un-expectedly and was worth my time seeing this movie. Laurie Strode, being very paranoid about Myers’ return, has created a home full of traps and safety mechanisms, including a bunker under the kitchen. Longstory short, Strode gets Myers trapped down there and sets the entire house on fire. I don’t know if I could ever feel emotion for Michael Myers, but in that moment, it was a bit sad to see the end to an era. Then again, we didn’t get to see Myers’ charred body, and with the success of this sequel, maybe we will get “Halloween III”.

ADVICE

Recognizing the pattern of toxicity It is very easy to fall into a toxic relationship and the first steps are recognizing the signs of one DELLESIA NOAH FIONA ROWAT STAFF

“I am not a babysitter or a mother and no woman should feel that they need to be.” Ariana Grande replied with this Tweet to a fan after they accused her of causing the downward spiral of 26-year-old rapper Mac Miller.

She also referred to the relationship as “toxic”.

It’s very easy to get caught up in a toxic relationship. It can happen to anyone; it can happen to musical icons, and it can happen to those we deem the strongest and proudest of people.

In university, we’re young and a little naive and it’s easy to get swept away by the romance of it all.

Relationships can easily seem perfect and two people can be very much in love, but that doesn’t mean the relationship is healthy or even that it’s what’s best for those two individuals at the time.

We may convince ourselves that we love the other person so much that we ignore the signs of toxic and abusive behaviours. Here’s how to recognize it and here’s how to avoid perpetuating it against others.

If you were to talk to a licensed professional, they would surely be able to give you a ton of warning signs of what can be defined as a toxic and abusive relationship, but we are not licensed professionals.

We’re just here to point out two

major signs of toxic and abusive behaviour using Ariana Grande’s most recent relationships as demonstrative points.

I am not a babysitter or a mother and no woman should feel that they need to be.

-Ariana Grande, Artist

1.If you constantly have to put their needs/self-destructive behaviour over your own wellbeing.

“I have cared for him and tried to support his sobriety and prayed for his balance for years (and always will of course) but shaming/blaming women for a man’s inability to keep his shit together is a very major problem…,” said Grande in her Tweet thread to that fan that accused her of being the cause of a grown man’s sobriety issues. No other person’s issues should take precedent or priority over your mental wellness. It isn’t your job to take care of a person’s issues at the cost of your own wellbeing. If you find yourself falling into that pattern with your signifi-

ANUJ KAPAHI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

cant other, it may be time to leave.

2.If they constantly try to police or regulate your body Pete Davidson made problematic comments on SNL about Grande prior to their split. “Last night I switched her birth control with Tic Tacs," Davidson joked. "I believe in us and all, I just want to make sure she can't go anywhere."

This is a big red flag. What you do with your body is your decision; it’s your choice to have kids or not have kids, and refraining from having kids at this point in your life is entirely up to you. Your partner should respect that. Having your partner manipulate your birth control -- or manipulate you -- as a form of controlling whether or not

you stay with them is a big indicator to leave.

If you or a loved one is in an abusive relationship, there our resources on campus and within the city of Brantford to help.

Nova Vita Domestic Violence Prevention Services (519) 752-1005 Laurier Brantford Women’s Centre (519) 865-6706

THE SPUTNIK

10

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018 SPORTS EDITOR JESSA BRAUN sports@thesputnik.ca

WATERLOO CAMPUS

WLU baseball wins the OUA Hawks claim program’s second title

PHOTO COURTESY OF WLU ATHLETICS

Laurier men’s baseball team gathers in for a group photo after their championship win against the U of T Varsity Blues.

HANNAH KASTEIN half runs a game during the regular Going into the championship, SPORTS WRITER Laurier was first in the OUA regular season.

It was a Cinderella moment when rookie outfielder Matthew Komonen hit a walk-off single in the 10th inning to win Laurier baseball’s second OUA championship Oct. 19 at the Ajax Sportsplex.

It was a rematch of last year’s championship game against the Varsity Blues, but this time with Laurier on top 4-3.

season standings with a 13-5 record, which included a five-game winning streak at the end of the season.

One of the reasons for their success is their talented lineup, particularly on the mound, with pitchers such as Christian Hauck and Ben Braun.

The pitching staff allowed a league-low average of three-and-a-

“We knew we had every capability to win with the guys we had, but we also knew that we had to perform as well since U of T beat us in the finals the year before and also a couple times earlier in the season,” said Braun.

Laurier made it to the final after a 10-0 victory over Laurentian University. Then in the finals, Toronto took an early lead after getting

two runs in on Laurier’s starting pitcher, Braun.

Laurier was able to climb back, getting a run in the fourth inning and another pair of runs in the sixth inning to take the lead.

In the ninth inning, Toronto was able to get a run to tie the game up and head to extra innings.

However, it didn’t stay that way for long: with runners on first and second, Komonen was able to hit a single. This brought runner Keifer Quick into home, giving the Hawks the conference title.

Pitcher Symington was credited with the win for the Golden Hawks after relieving Braun, going five innings and only letting two runs in.

Komonen wasn’t on the traveling roster at the start of the season but got the chance to play and took advantage, finishing the game two-for-four, including the walk-off single.

Quick and Jeff Hunt also had great games for Laurier, finishing with two hits each.

This was the Golden Hawks’ first conference title since 2013, with only one player on the team who has won before.

Braun also commented that the biggest factor for the team’s win

was teamwork and friendship.

“Our captains did a great job of bringing the team closer together early on and making sure that we were all on the same page and ready to go from game one onwards,” he said.

We knew we had every capability to win with the guys we had, but we also knew that we had to perform as well since U of T beat us in the finals the year before.

-Ben Braun, Pitcher

Even though the team is made up of a lot new faces, the win was a team effort, with many different guys contributing throughout the day, giving Laurier their 73rd provincial title in school history.

SOCCER

Canada falls short of CONCACAF title

The defending champions, United States, took the championship win in a 2-0 victory over the Canadians JOSEPH MARINUCCI SPORTS WRITER

The 2018 CONCACAF women’s championship concluded in disappointment for a promising Team Canada, who lost 2-0 in the final to old rivals, the United States.

Although the tournament had ended in defeat for Canada, there were an abundance of bright spots for the team to build off of for a potential 2019 World Cup run.

Canada entered the tournament ranked fifth in the FIFA/Coca-Cola World Ranking, and were placed in Group B, which featured Jamaica, Costa Rica and Cuba.

Canada had been early favourites to top the group and had lived up to expectations.

Canada vs. Jamaica Canada began the tournament against Jamaica, and the 2-0 win for the Canadians did not fairly represent the game. Canada dominated this game, outshooting Jamaica 20-2, dominating the ball, holding possession for 71 per cent of the match and completely out-passing Jamaica, with Canada completing 409 compared to Jamaica’s 119. Forward Nichelle Prince scored both goals, during minutes 33 and 80.

Canada vs. Cuba Canada followed their strong open with a show of dominance against Cuba, winning 12-0. It was similar to the first game, with Canada outshooting Cuba 46-1 and holding 68 per cent of possessions. However, unlike the first

COURTESY OF CANADA SOCCER

Canada’s Ashley Lawrence (left) and USA’s Rose Lavelle (right) battle for the ball in the final match of the CONCACAF.

game, Canada had six separate scorers, with both Adriana Leon and Jordyn Huitema scoring four goals each.

Captain Christine Sinclair came off the bench for the start of the second half, adding to the goal tally when she scored during the 63rd minute.

Canada vs. Costa Rica Canada followed their performance against Cuba with a 3-1 victory over Costa Rica, conceding their first goal of the tournament.

Much like the previous games,

Canada held possession, outshot and out-passed Costa Rica.

Three different scorers for Canada found the back of the net, with Christine Sinclair, Janine Beckie and Nichelle Prince each adding to their records. Canada had concluded the group stage sitting very comfortably atop Group B with nine points and a goal difference of +16.

Canada vs. Panama (semi-finals) The semi-finals brought much of the same as the group stages, with Canada facing runners-up of

Group A, Panama. En route to a dominant 7-0 win over Panama, Canada also secured a spot in the 2019 World Cup in France. During the match, Christine Sinclair added two more goals to her record, slowly closing in on the alltime goal scoring record held by former United States forward Abby Wambach.

Canada vs. USA (championship) After dominating their way to the final, Canada had their biggest challenge of the tournament, playing against their rivals the United

States. Unlike in previous games, Canada was unable to outplay the United States, with possession, shooting and passing numbers all being held comfortably by the United States. After conceding in the second minute to a goal from Rose Lavelle, Canada did not look like the squad that had reached the final.

The game was sealed for the Americans after a 89th minute goal from Alex Morgan, crushing any hopes of a dream injury-time tie and potential winner from any one of Canada’s players.

There were debates that Morgan’s goal should have been an offside call.

Despite the disappointing loss, Canada had plenty to take away from the tournament and much to build off of. Canada had entered the tournament with an average age of only 24, and the final roster included six current or former players from the U-21 team.

The core of Team Canada is getting older, with top goal scorer and captain Christine Sinclair reaching the end of her illustrious career and long-time regulars Diana Matheson and Sophie Schmidt entering the tail end of their primes.

Canada will be losing key players sooner rather than later.

However, with the youth in the squad and with the continued growth of the sport. Canada’s Women’s National Team should have no issues competing at the top of the world rankings for the foreseeable future.

THE SPUTNIK

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018

11 SPORTS EDITOR JESSA BRAUN sports@thesputnik.ca

VARSITY

LB cross country is nationals bound After placing third at OCAA championships, LB cross country claims their first medal in program history

SAI GNANAHARAN/PHOTOGRAPHER

Top row from left: Anne McDermott, Kara Hughes, Maizee Bodman, Cory Currie. Bottom row from left: Vanessa Brown, Jessa Braun, Chiara Carinci JOSEPH MARINUCCI SPORTS WRITER

The Laurier Brantford women’s cross country team claimed a podium finish at the Ontario Colleges Athletic Association (OCAA) championship for the first time in program history.

The event, which took place on Oct. 27 at the University of Toronto, Scarborough campus, was the final event before the Canadian Colle-

giate Athletic Association (CCAA) national championship on Nov. 10 in King City, Ontario. Laurier Brantford’s women’s cross country team finished in third place, booking their trip to the national championship.

“Looking at them [the women’s team] celebrating, it really got me emotionally,” said Head Coach Cory Currie. “I know that feeling when you work so hard for something and it finally happens. I’m

very privileged to be their coach and couldn’t have asked for a better group of ladies.”

Nineteen other schools competed in the OCAA cross country championship, and Laurier Brantford comfortably claimed their medal.

“I feel we can be a top 10 team at nationals,” Currie said.

The Golden Hawks had originally tied for second place, but due to a tie-breaker, Laurier Brantford

slid down to third position. Tiebreakers are decided through the fifth place runner’s time, as team scores are calculated by adding the placings of the team’s top four runners.

Vanessa Brown led the Golden Hawks with a time of 25:11.4, good enough for 11th overall. Kara Hughes, who finished 16th overall, crossed the line with a time of 26:18.6. As a whole, the team finished with an average time of 26:23.6. In total, Laurier Brantford finished with a score of 83.

Fanshawe College, who finished with a score of 26, claimed first, while Humber College finished second with a score of 83.

With team success, individual success and accolades were also featured for Laurier Brantford.

Brown, along with a 10th place finish, earned a spot on Second Team All-Ontario, and was also named OCAA Rookie of the Year.

Following her provincial success, Brown has goals set for nationals.

“I really want to be in the top 20,” she said. “As a team, I want to be eighth at least.”

Cross country was Brown’s first extracurricular involvement at Laurier.

“It’s definitely added a good start to my university career,” she said.

“That’s why I like that it’s a fall sport.”

Although Laurier Brantford did not have enough male runners to feature a men’s team, Ahad Naim

qualified for the national championship after placing 12th. Naim was also named to Second Team All-Ontario.

“Ahad had the race of a lifetime,” said Currie. “He really showed his potential that he can run with the best in Ontario and listen to the race plan we came up with and execute it perfectly.”

Game Five The last game saw more heroics from Steve Pearce. In the first inning he hit a two-run home run to put his team up 2-0. David Freese hit a solo home run for the Dodgers, but that was all the runs they would score. Mookie Betts, J.D. Martinez and Steve Pearce added home runs. The Red Sox won game five and subsequently the World Series.

Steve Pearce won the MVP award for his incredible performance during the fall classic, but a notable runner up was David Price.

Many Blue Jay fans will remember the pitcher’s struggles during

the post-season over the course of his career. Prior to the 2018 post-season, Price’s record in the playoffs was 0-9 in 11 starts. Price miraculously turned it around this post-season, going 3-1, including two wins during the World Series in games two and five.

The Red Sox’s new motto following their World Series victory might sound a little familiar to Dodger fans. The “Damage Done” moniker has been posted all over social media and the team continues to enjoy proving the doubters, including their opponents, wrong.

Looking at them celebrating . . . it really got me emotionally. I know that feeling when you work hard for something and it finally happens.

-Cory Currie, Head Coach

The future looks bright for Laurier Brantford’s women’s cross country team, as three of the team’s four top runners are rookies. The rookie factor, combined with continued and consistent success, only means the team should be challenging not only a podium finish; but a potential top spot in the years to come.

Red Sox vs. Dodgers

Boston and Los Angeles face off in the 2018 World Series RYAN PRAUGHT SPORTS WRITER

Damage done -- that’s the phrase the Boston Red Sox used again and again as they kept winning en route to their ninth World Series title.

It all started back in early August when Yankee General Manager Brian Cashman said, “We do some damage against them”. The next time the Yankees and Red Sox played was a four-game series at Fenway Park in Boston only a week later. The Red Sox won all four games and built an insurmountable lead in the divisional race.

The Red Sox, powered by their new team motto #DoDamage, would win the AL East and as fate, would have would get to play the Yankees in the ALDS. The Red Sox did some damage, as they defeated the Yankees in four games and advanced to the ALCS where they played the Houston Astros. The Red Sox, again doubted by the Astros and the media, did plenty of damage. As a result, the Red Sox moved on to play in the World Series after defeating the Astros in five games.

The Astros decided to poke fun at the Red Sox too when third baseman Alex Bregman posted a video of him and some teammates hitting home runs off of Red Sox Pitcher Nathan Eovaldi. After this was posted, the Red Sox won three straight games to eliminate the Astros, once again proving not to

poke the sleeping bear.

This brings us to the World Series, where the Boston Red Sox and the Los Angeles Dodgers met for the first time since the Dodgers moved from Brooklyn to L.A. in 1958. The Red Sox were favoured to win, but many expected a great series that featured plenty of memorable moments.

Game One This one was played in Boston and it saw the Red Sox jump out to an early 2-0 lead, thanks to the elite hitters that the Red Sox had at the top of the order. The Dodgers would storm back to tie up the game, but that changed when Eduardo Nunez stepped up to the plate. He was pinch hitting for Rafael Devers and he hit a three-run home run to blow game one wide open and the Red Sox would hold on to win 8-4.

Game Two This game saw a tighter contest that included the Dodgers taking the lead to make it 2-1, but J.D. Martinez hit a two RBI single in the fifth to give the Red Sox a 4-2 lead, and David Price shut the door to allow the Red Sox to go up 2-0 in the series.

Game Three The series shifted to Los Angeles, where the Dodgers wanted to pull back within one game in the series. They got off to a good start when Joc Pederson hit a solo home

run, but Jackie Bradley Jr. tied it up in the eighth with a solo home run of his own. Nine innings were not enough -- the game went to extra innings, and then some more extra innings. Eventually the game broke the record for the longest World Series game ever. It finally ended thanks to Max Muncy’s walk-off home run in the 18th inning. This meant that despite an unbelievable performance by Nathan Eovaldi, he was charged with the loss. After the game, the Dodgers’ Instagram account posted a picture of Muncy captioned “Damage Done” possibly giving the Red Sox more bulletin board material.

Game Four Fortunately, game four only lasted nine innings, but it may have had the best moments of the series.

After the Dodgers scored on an error to go up 1-0, Dodgers outfielder Yasiel Puig stepped up the plate with two men on in the sixth inning. After a ball that made the count 3-1, Puig did a little shimmy and proceeded to launch a threerun home run that appeared to blow game four wide open. The Red Sox, however, had other plans and proceeded to hit a three-run home run in the seventh, a solo home run to tie it in the eighth and five runs in the ninth. Steve Pearce had four RBIs in the game, including the game-tying home run and he helped propel the Red Sox to a three games to one series lead.

ANUJ KAPAHI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

THE SPUTNIK

12

WEDNESDAY, OCTOBER 31, 2018 OPINION EDITOR AVERY MCISSAC opinion@thesputnik.ca

MENTAL HEALTH

There’s no humour in suicide jokes As a society, we need to realize the power behind our words, and take what we say more seriously EMILY ERNST STAFF WRITER

“I want to die”: four words that should alarm their listener. Four words that should cause your heart to drop, your stomach to flip and your eyes to widen to the size of Ferris wheels.

Four words that a few years ago were rarely muttered except by a hurting few in the darkest of places. Yet today these four words are common.

Four words that litter the hallways, classrooms, residences and libraries of university campuses.

We wish death upon ourselves constantly. How utterly messed up is that? Have you ever stopped to think about it?

Here we are sitting in a nice safe residence, going to a reputable, safe school, surrounded by support, friends and family. Yet to publicly announce a death wish is viewed as completely normal.

Does nobody else see a problem with this?

When did we allow our generation to become so de-sensitized to the idea of death? We laugh at what should be a distressing statement and agree as if we were adjudicating the most recent episode of “The Simpsons”. We don’t flinch while the notion of suicide is casually thrown towards our dormant smiles. How did we let this become okay?

This is a serious and complex topic and finding a student willing to honestly address it proved challenging. When confronted

EMILY ERNST/STAFF WRITER

We must not normalize the type of dialogue that presents suicide as a regular hope or wish.

with this matter, one student expressed his concerns: “I think it’s important to not say it because it perpetuates the idea that self-harm is something to be joked about.

Though the person saying it may not be directly affected by those words, someone who is experiencing depressive thoughts and emotions may be impacted more than we can see.”

I cannot sit here and claim that

I have never muttered those four words as I exited a lecture hall after a brutal test or an especially long slideshow. But I am able to openly admit that this thought process is horrible.

Our generation has been living through an increasingly interesting time.

With the collapse of many governments, encouraged racism in the United States, the possible

threat of nuclear war and the inevitable doom of our natural planet at our hands, millennials have had a lot thrown onto our plate.

Yet after helplessly watching all of these phenomena unfold, we, as a generation, have learned it is necessary to refuse to accept the long enforced silence that our predecessors welcomed in the face of turmoil. In this refusal, we created movements like Black Lives

Matter, #Metoo and the March for Our Lives. We have also pushed for the world to see mental illness and suicide as the valid and distressing realities they are.

It seems that now we are moving backward. We must not normalize the type of dialogue that presents suicide as a regular hope or wish.

We must not treat the notion of shooting ourselves as a joke when 154 school shootings happened in the last school year alone down in the United States.

We must leave behind those sentences and phrases mentioned previously by the humans who will regretfully experience a form of agony, real enough to cause them to think those four words, or even say them.

How dare we take those words away from a person in need of help and use them for a cheap laugh or a quick re-Tweet?

Are we really ungrateful enough in our own lives that any minor inconvenience could result in a death wish?

Mental health and teen suicide are serious things – which I am sure you don’t need me to remind you of.

So I implore this campus to stop joking about death and suicide and leave those life-changing phrases for those moments where our fellow humans actually need help.

Death isn't funny; suicide isn't a joke.

Four words can change the path of a life, but removing them from your daily vocabulary won’t take all of a minute of yours.

INTERNET

Memes are 21st century hieroglyphics

We have all used or made a meme at some point to express ourselves online or make our friends laugh

ANUJ KAPAHI/GRAPHICS EDITOR

DEBORAH WHYTE STAFF WRITER

Memes have become a daily part of modern society.

We thrive on them. They express emotions in ways our faces cannot.

Have a midterm exam that you haven’t studied for? Just search that SpongeBob caveman meme.

Tired of your mom bulldozing

your room door down instead of knocking? Just look for that stock photo picture with a caption.

Or maybe you're more of the Kermit the Frog meme where you talk to the darker version of yourself.

In a nutshell, memes are the backbone of our generation.

They connect you to people on an emotional level – people you

don’t even know.

As a collective society, we survive through meeting and greeting people. Without contact, we’d be dead.

So why is it so hard for older generations to understand that?

According to Wikipedia, a meme is an idea, behaviour, or style that spreads from person to person within a culture.

This might explain the feelings older generations have toward memes.

The whole “stranger danger” and “don’t talk to strangers on the Internet” is thrown out the window when it comes to memes.

Because when we see a stranger on the Internet talking about things that make no sense to us, words cannot describe our dis-

comfort, confusion or feelings. So, we must meme it.

We must send them a photo with one sentence that sums up our emotions and opinion on the matter.

The best part about this is that they’re not even your own words – they’re someone else’s – so they can’t get mad at you specifically.

In an article written by Paul Gil on LifeWire, he says that a meme is a virally-transmitted cultural symbol or social idea.

It sounds boring, but that’s the skeleton of it: the bone and structure of what wakes us up in the morning, or causes us to stray farther away from God. He continues to say that the majority of modern memes are captioned photos that are intended to be funny, often as a way to publicly ridicule human behaviour.

Other memes can be videos and verbal expressions, while some memes have heavier and more philosophical content, like the philosoraptor meme.

All in all, a meme is not just the Mexican in the sombrero hat, quoting “don’t worry, wheelchair”, nor is it the Moon-Moon dog, Grumpy Cat, your mom (if she makes a weird enough face), the Arthur hand or SpongeBob in general.

A meme is what we, as a society, make of it. It lives in us; it is us.